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BATTLE AT BRISTOL ANNOUNCES TROPHY DESIGN CONTEST FOR FOOTBALL'S LARGEST GAME

Thursday, February 5, 2015

BRISTOL, Tenn. February 5, 2015 - Battle at Bristol is putting out a call to fans: Do you want to be a part of history? History will indeed be made as sports fans witness a border battle, decades in the making, between Virginia Tech and the University of Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 10, 2016. In honor of this epic rivalry, Battle at Bristol is giving fans the chance to be a part of the ground-breaking event in the form of a national contest. Fans have the opportunity to design what will inspire the iconic trophy awarded to the winner of this historic game.

Beginning today, February 5th, 2015, fans can submit their designs for the trophy to http://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/BattleTrophy (or by mail to Bristol Motor Speedway) until March 6th, 2015. Entries will be organized by Bristol Motor Speedway to determine the top three that will go up on BristolMotorSpeedway.com on March 13, 2015 for fan voting. Majority vote winner from the fans will serve as the inspiration for the final Battle at Bristol Trophy.

In addition to bragging rights, the winner will receive a free trip to a Bristol Motor Speedway race weekend, the September 2015 Trophy Unveiling event, tickets to Battle at Bristol in September 2016 and other prizes.

Expected to draw more than 150,000 fans, the iconic NASCAR short track will transform into college football's largest venue within an estimated two-week timeframe following its traditional late-Aug. race date. The Battle at Bristol football game is on track to crush the current NCAA single-game attendance record of 115,109, which was set in September 2013 at Michigan Stadium.

"Well, you know my attitude, if we're in it, let's win it," says Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer, concerning the trophy competition. "My entire career, I have talked about how special our fans are, and once again we have a chance to prove it. I'm calling on the Hokie Nation to tap into your creative side and design the winning trophy for this historic game. Somebody is going to have a chance to go down in history, and I think it's fantastic that the organizers of this event are affording this opportunity."

University of Tennessee Head Football Coach: Butch Jones

"The Battle at Bristol will be a unique opportunity for our program to play in front of the largest crowd in football history," said Tennessee head football coach Butch Jones. "There is tremendous excitement from our fan base for this game, and I'm sure many of our fans will enjoy participating in the contest to design the Battle at Bristol trophy."

Bristol Motor Speedway is the host of College Football's Biggest Ever Game. General Manager and Executive Vice President: Jerry Caldwell

"There has been long-time demand and excitement from fans for this record-breaking border battle at Bristol Motor Speedway," said Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. "We are launching this trophy contest to give our fans another opportunity to be a part of this historic game and we are so excited to see what they will come up with."

-BMS-

ABOUT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY:

Nestled in the mountains of northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line, Bristol Motor Speedway is a 0.533-mile concrete oval race track with 28-degree corner banking, 650-feet straightaways and a 40-foot wide racing surface. Renowned as "The World's Fastest Half-Mile," the short track features two races each year from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series, one Monster Truck event and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR K&N Pro Series-East race. With a crowd capacity in excess of 150,000, the facility is expected to set a new NCAA college football attendance record on Sept. 10, 2016 when the racetrack transforms into a football stadium and plays host to border rivals, the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech. The speedway property is also home to Bristol Dragway. The historic drag strip celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, headlines with the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals and operates more than 70 event days each season. In 2014, the Bristol Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, awarded a record-breaking $749,000 to regional children's charities bringing their seventeen-year total to nearly $9 million in grants. In existence since 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway was purchased in 1996 by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. a publicly traded company that is a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, visit the company's website at bristolmotorspeedway.com.